


Shine for You

by VH_Sheridan



Category: Bleach
Genre: Adorable Domestic Life, F/M, Fluff, Not beta read because I live on the edge!, Slice of Life, anthropomorphic sun and moon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-18
Updated: 2020-10-18
Packaged: 2021-03-08 23:34:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,959
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27075037
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VH_Sheridan/pseuds/VH_Sheridan
Summary: "The garden paths did not lead to any particular destination but merely looped in on themselves forming the trails so many celestials walked. All celestials followed their preferred paths and came to her garden at some time or another, but one in particular visited her most frequently. At times, he outshone her with his brilliance, but lately he seemed lost within himself, barely flickering in the dark."When a young Kazui has trouble falling asleep when his father is away, he asks his mother to read him his favorite story that depicts his mother an father as anthropomorphic celestial bodies.
Relationships: Inoue Orihime/Kurosaki Ichigo
Kudos: 19





	Shine for You

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I own nothing. All characters belong to Kubo and his masterpiece, Bleach.

“Kazui,” Orihime chided gently as she frowned at the child standing on the bottom step of the stairs. “You should be in bed.” 

The three year old’s lip quivered pitifully and his eyes filled with tears. His hands were fisted in the hem of his pajama shirt, twisting the material back and forth nervously. 

“It’s too dark,” he said in a small voice. 

Orihime’s frown shifted to a gentle smile as she scooped the small boy up in her arms and held him close. She kissed his cheek before proceeding to carry him up the stairs to his room. The small boy wrapped his arms around his mother’s neck in a fierce hug and buried his face into her long, ginger hair. Once in his bedroom, she flicked on the bedside lamp. Orihime unwrapped his arms from around her neck and placed him on the bed. Coaxing him under the covers, she smoothed his tousled hair from his face and placed a kiss to his forehead. 

“How about one more story?” She asked as she pulled the blankets around him. “You pick.” 

“The sun and moon one, momma,” the boy replied pointing across the room to an overcrowded bookshelf beside a messy and overflowing toybox. 

A huff of laughter escaped her lips before they curved into a wry smile. She crossed the room and pulled the well-worn, handwritten and hand illustrated book from a pile on the bookshelf. She carried it back to the bed, and sat down in the space Kazui had made for her on the bed. 

“You do love this one, don’t you?” Orihime asked, fondly ruffling his hair as she made her self comfortable. 

Kazui’s eyes scanned the cover of the book, traveling over the illustration of the bright yellow woman with sunset orange hair and amber eyes standing beside a man with snowy skin and inky black dressed in a pinstripe suit. He glanced up at his mother who was watching him with a bemused expression and then nudged her with his elbow. 

“I’ll Shine for You,” Orihime read as she opened the book and Kazui snuggled closer to her side. 

_The woman ambled aimlessly along the gently curving path, her bare feet and trailing train of her golden gown scarcely disturbing the soft dirt. It was early evening and the sky above her was mottled yellows, oranges, and pinks. She paused to admire a budding dahlia- the final, hesitant bloom on a bush already laden with the flowers that bloomed in full, yellow sunbursts. Reaching out, her fingers gently brushed over the bud, and it swiftly sprang to life, emerging into a full blossom. The woman smiled softly at the new flower before continuing further along the garden path._

_Night was swiftly approaching and the woman wanted to ensure everything was prepared for the guest she was sure would visit once darkness had fallen. She hurried for her private alcove, the sanctuary at the center of the garden, as the colors of sunset faded to the pastel lavenders and periwinkles of twilight. The flowers folded in on themselves as she passed, closing their blossoms for the night and waiting once more for the warmth of the sun’s light._

_“Tsubaki?” The woman ca-_

“No, momma, do the voices,” Kazui interrupted. He puffed out his bottom lip and scrunched up his face in a pout. 

Orihime smiled gently down at him and began to read again. 

_“Tsubaki?” the woman called out in a soft voice as she entered the glade created for her._

_An attendant emerged from the shadows and bowed before her. Their robe was a duskier color of the blossom after which they were named._

_“Yes, Lady,” came the attendant’s response._

_“Is my private sitting area prepared?” The woman asked as she strode toward a small garden table with two intricate, wrought iron chairs in a rich shade of green._

_“Yes, Lady,” the attendant said. “Tea has been prepared for you and your guest, but as I assume he’d rather sit beside the brook than at your garden table, everything has been placed on a tray for your convenience. I also took the liberty to prepare a small sitting area beside the brook as well.”_

_“Thank you, Tsubaki,” the woman said with a kind smile, filling the glade with a soft, warm glow. “You are dismissed.”_

_“As the Lady pleases,” Tsubaki murmured in response as he bowed to her and left the clearing._

_The woman lifted a gossamer black dressing gown from where it was folded over the back of one of the garden chairs and slid into it. Although it was thin material, as it settled over her golden dress and the ocher skin of her arms, the radiant light of filling the garden muted until only her sunset hair and the uncovered skin of her hands and face shone, winking in the darkness. Night in all her-_

Kazui interrupted again. “Why isn’t she sparkly anymore?” he pointed to the illustration of the woman who no longer glowed so brightly. 

“Well, love,” Orihime replied patiently, “The sun goes down at night time and when it does, it can’t glow as brightly or you wouldn’t be able to see the moon.” She waited to see if he would ask anymore questions. After a couple beats of silence, she resumed. 

_Night in all her dark glory had risen over the whole of the garden. The woman turned at the sound of approaching footsteps._

_The garden paths did not lead to any particular destination but merely looped in on themselves forming the trails so many celestials walked. All celestials followed their preferred paths and came to her garden at some time or another, but one celestial in particular visited her most frequently. At times, he outshone her with his brilliance, but lately he seemed lost within himself, barely flickering in the dark._

_As the man entered her garden, the woman smiled warmly a him, her radiant joy illuminating the glade in golden light. The man stuffed his hands in the pockets of his pinstriped trousers and slouched against a tree, mostly hidden in shadow. Only a sliver of him could be seen, but the woman noted that the man’s lips quirked up in the smallest of smiles._

_“It’s been quite some time since you visited me last,” the woman said in way of greeting. The man remained silent. The woman lifted the tray from the garden table and nodded towards the bank of the brook. “Would you care to sit with me a while?”_

_The man nodded. He crossed the garden on silent feet and quiet and graceful as a cat, settled onto one of the cushions at the bank. He took the tray from the woman when she reached their sitting area, and placed it on the ground. The woman fluidly sank to the ground, tucking her feet beneath the folds of her inky dressing gown. As she prepared their tea, a comfortable silence fell between them, broken only by the sound of water laughing over stone._

_Curls of steam rose and danced above her cup as she regarded him quietly. His brows furrowed and his lips were pulled tight into a thin, pale line. Already the tea within his grasp had grown still and cold._

_“You seem troubled,” the woman said quietly bringing the cup to her lips for a small sip._

_The man sighed in response. Due to the woman’s limited illumination, shadows filled the garden and when he stared at his reflection within the water only a fraction of it was visible. The rest was lost in the darkness._

_“I’ve lost my light. Soon there won’t be anything left but darkness.”_

_The man’s frown deepened and his already fair skinned hands paled further as his grip on the cup tightened._

_The woman pulled her hair over her shoulder, combing it with her fingers as she considered how to respond._

_“You speak as though your darkness is evil,” she said slowly, carefully choosing her words, “but it isn’t. The darkness is as much a part of you as the light is.” The man glared at her and opened his mouth to speak, yet the woman continued. “You are the terrans’ celestial of the skies illuminating their way when Night descends and overtakes the light. Yet isn’t it also you who plunges the world into shadow when you rise anew? You are waging a war within yourself- willing yourself to shine brightly at all times- when it is not in your nature to do so. To keep denying this will destroy you from within. You are just as much a Black King as you are a White Knight.”_

_The man growled in response, but his gaze returned to cooled cup of tea in his hands as he weighed her words. Silence fell between them again, thick and tense._

_The woman sighed softly and shifted towards him. She wrapped her small hands around his larger ones and gripped him tightly. A moment later, a small curl of steam rose from the tea once more, and, when she pulled away from him, his hands shone more brightly than before. Slowly the light from his fingers where she’d touched him faded._

_“I’m afraid,” the main growled. “I’m afraid that if I give myself over to the darkness that I will be more myself than I have ever been in the light. I’m afraid that I truly am….” He clenched his jaw unwilling to voice his greatest concern. The skin around his eyes tightened with worry and he struggled to keep his breathing even. The cup fell from his fingers spilling his tea onto the grass as he raked a hand through his hair._

_The woman reached out and entwined her fingers with his. “You’re afraid that you truly are a monster,” she finished for him._

_The man nodded, a sharp, curt gesture._

_Sighing, the woman pushed the tray out of the way and moved closer to the man. When he refused to meet her gaze, she nudged him gently in the side with her elbow._

_“Watch,” she whispered. She stretched one golden glowing hand out over the grass. A delicate lavender petaled iris bloomed beneath her palm, the leaves unfolding as the stalk shot up and the petals unfurled towards the warmth of her hand._

_“Yeah, yeah,” the man glowered at her grumpily. “I get it. You’re the sun and you give life. How exactly is this supposed to make me feel better?”_

_Pursing her lips, she cocked an eyebrow at him. When he apologized, she drew his attention one again to the blossom. Her hand glowed fiercely, the heat scorching the grass below. The silken petals shriveled and fell silently to the ground; the leaves of the browned and drooped against the earth the once living plant now decaying matter._

_“It is true that I give life to the terrans,” she sighed sadly, gazing sorrowfully at the remnants of the flower, “yet I can burn the life out of all below. I can hurt as much as I can heal.” She looked up at the man who returned her gaze. “In our own way, we are all monstrous- capable of unspeakable pain._

_The part of yourself that you fear is a marvel for the terrans. They track your delicate dance of light and shadow from night to night and call you lovely. You command the tides. You bring life to the stillness of the dark, and,” she flashed his dazzling playful grin,” fill the sky with lunar goodness.”_

_A sharp bark of laughter escaped his lips before he shook his head at her, a small smile tugging the corners of his lips upward._

_“Lunar goodness, huh?” He grinned at her, and in that moment the glade was bathed in soft white light. “Thank you. That one statement completely eases my mind.”_

_His grin faded and his face once more was overcome by shadows. “If I am the Black King as you say, that would make you my queen, would it not?”_

_The woman cocked her head to the side and pretended to be deep in thought._

_“I suppose it would.”_

_“Then promise me something, Lady,” he murmured, wrapping his arm around her and pulling her close to him._

_“Anything,” she replied._

_“If I lose myself to the darkness,” his voice was flat, filled with grim resignation, “promise me that you will en- “_

_The woman raised a finger to his lips effectively quieting him as she affixed a cool, steady gaze at him._

_“If that ever happens,” she said vehemently, voice shaking with emotion, “I’ll shine so brightly that you’ll find your way out of the darkness and back to the light. I’ll shine for you.”_

_The man pulled her to him and kissed her with a love that lit the whole sky._

Orihime closed the book and glanced down at her son. Kazui’s dark lashes brushed against his cheeks and his breathing was deep and even. Easing herself off the bed, she leaned over to smooth his hair away from his face once more before placing a kiss on his forehead. 

“Pleasant dreams, love,” she murmured softly. Then, tucking the book under her arm, she turned off the light and left the room. 

Just a she reached the bottom step, Ichigo arrived home, kicking off his shoes with a groan. He raised his arms above his head and stretched with a loud yawn, sighing as he lowered his arms to his side once more. 

“Hard day?” Orihime asked softly with a sympathetic smile. 

“Yeah,” he answered with another yawn. “Did he just get to sleep?” 

“Yeah.” Orihime shrugged and waved a hand in the general direction of their son’s room. “He always has a difficult time sleeping when you’re away.” 

Ichigo smiled wryly and shook his head. “What story did he ask you to read this time?” 

“His favorite,” Orihime replied with a grin, handing the homemade book to her husband. “I think we should send Rukia a second thank you note for her wedding present. We’re getting more use out of it than the fancy dishes your family bought us!”

Ichigo snorted, thumbing through the pages. “I’ll get right on that,” he said dryly. “It’s a good thing I removed the more explicit pages Renji added to the end of the story before Kazui found the book.” Ichigo shut his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. “I still can’t believe he drew breasts on a stick figure.” 

Orihime giggled. “I can’t believe he drew stick figures in…. interesting positions. I had a difficult time discerning legs from…” she flicked a gaze to his crotch. 

Ichigo huffed a laugh. 

“You hungry?” Orihime asked with a smile, and at his nod, said, “Come on. I’ll fix you something.” 

As Orihime tittered around the kitchen attempting to make as little noise as possible, Ichigo sat at the table with the book. His fingers brushed over the woman’s fiery hair lovingly as he read her declaration to shine for him. He regarded the woman in the kitchen on whom the fictional woman was to represent. Orihime’s hips were fuller, her hair messier, but the smile she gave him when she caught him staring at her was every bit as radiant and full of love as the smile her fictional counterpart wore when then moon entered her garden. 

Orihime moved the book out of the way as she placed a plate of fresh croquettes and steaming vegetables in front of him. Then she busied herself with making tea. 

“You know,” Ichigo said between bites, “I don’t particularly like how Rukia wrote me.” 

“Awww,” Orihime quipped, “but I love it when you show off your more sensitive and insecure side.” She kissed the top of his head as she placed a steaming mug of tea beside his plate. 

“I’m not so melodramatic or moody!” He protested as she turned away. 

Orihime bit her cheek in an effort not to laugh, thankful her back was to him. She coughed and cleared her throat. 

“Well, you know how Rukia is; She’s always had a flair for the dramatic beneath that quiet and reserved exterior. 

Ichigo grunted his agreement as Orihime slid the book around to her side of the table as she sat down with a cup of tea. She absently flipped through it as Ichigo ate. He chatted about his day, venting his frustrations and touting his exciting successes. He trailed off when he noticed Orihime frowning at one of the pages. 

“Hime?” He asked curiously. “What is it?”

“He doesn’t fit,” she replied absently. 

“Huh?” Ichigo rose and walked around the table to peer over her shoulder and study the image she was pointing to. 

The page in question depicted the circular nature of the garden with concentric paths that the planet people, or celestials as Rukia had called them, followed, orbiting around the sun’s private glade. Elegant as ever was Byakuya in shades of tan, creams, and pale yellows with a sash across his body from right shoulder to left hip to represent the rings of Saturn. Isane in shades of blue strode down the furthest of the garden paths as a poised and delicate Neptune. Kenpachi, larger than the others with a massive red spot on his mottled fawn captain’s coat stalked along the path as an impressive and intimidating Jupiter. Only Renji had a rotund body with cartoony features and appendages as well as a label with an arrow pointing towards him. 

Orihime glanced up at Ichigo, brows furrowed in concern. 

“Do you think it’s because of his additions to her story that Rukia made him Uranus?” She asked quietly. 

They stared at one another for only a moment before their laughter filled the kitchen.

**Author's Note:**

> This story was inspired in part by Panic! At the Disco's When the Day Met the Night and in part by the night/moon/dark imagery surrounding Ichigo in the manga and the day/life imagery with Orihime. (Can we talk about that? Her powers are literally flowers.) I started out only writing the story of the sun!Orihime and moon!Ichigo when I had a sudden inspiration to make it a story written and illustrated by our favorite ice queen Rukia and read to the adorable Kazui. I hope you enjoyed reading this story as much as I enjoyed writing it. I'd love to hear feedback from my readers so please drop a comment or give me a kudo if you liked what you read. Ciao!


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